


Flirting Lessons

by tablelamp



Category: Leverage
Genre: Awkward Flirting, F/F, Flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26636425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tablelamp/pseuds/tablelamp
Relationships: Sophie Devereaux/Parker (Leverage)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20
Collections: Femslash Exchange 2020





	Flirting Lessons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celestialskiff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialskiff/gifts).



Parker gestured to the empty seat across the table from Sophie. "Is this seat taken?"

Sophie looked up from pretending to read. "No." She gestured for Parker to sit.

Parker did. "Your eyes."

It wasn't the most original tactic, but then, precious little was. Besides, unoriginal tactics were unoriginal because they'd worked. Sophie looked at Parker expectantly.

Parker nodded several times as though Sophie should know what she was going to say. "...you have them."

Sophie smiled. Parker was getting full marks for creativity.

But Parker was already shaking her head. "That's not right. I know it's not right." She huffed out a breath in exasperation.

"You haven't misstepped so far," Sophie said encouragingly.

Parker gave Sophie a withering look. "I told you you had eyes. Not romantic."

Sophie put down her book. "All right. There are several directions you can take. If you want to say something about my eyes, you can compare them to something, or simply compliment them."

Parker was laser-focused. "But you wouldn't start with the eyes."

"I wouldn't," Sophie said, shaking her head.

"Why?" Parker asked.

"When you're flirting with someone, it works best if you compliment them about something they want people to notice," Sophie said. "As you say, everyone has eyes, and if I were wearing an outfit or makeup that drew attention to my eyes, that would absolutely be a direction to go in."

Parker considered this for a moment. "But I already know you. If I'm flirting with a stranger, I'm not gonna know them like I know you."

"That's true," Sophie said. "If you didn't know me, what hints would I be giving you?"

Parker frowned, thinking about it. "You're alone. So I could say something like, 'Nice day to be by yourself.' But that's a weird thing to say to someone when you just sat at their table."

"A bit," Sophie agreed.

"You don't have any food," Parker said. "You're not carrying a purse, so you're a little harder to steal from."

Sophie resisted the urge to say she wouldn't lead with that. Parker knew that already; she was merely thinking through all the options.

Parker brightened. "You're reading."

Sophie smiled in appreciation. "Good! And what am I reading?" She held up the book.

Parker read the title. She hesitated, then said quietly, "I don't know anything about poetry."

Sophie reached across the table, touching Parker's hand to comfort her. Parker let her do it, which was a new development but not an unwelcome one. "You don't have to know about poetry. All you have to do is think about what sort of person reads poetry in a public place."

Parker considered this. "You want me to think you're smart."

"Good," Sophie said.

"You want someone else to talk to about poetry," Parker said. "Maybe."

"Maybe," Sophie agreed.

Parker was quiet for a long moment. "You have a good imagination. You want people to know that."

"Very good, Parker!" Sophie said. "Now, if I were reading poetry by a specific poet, that might give you additional clues. For instance, certain poets are known for being romantic or witty. But this is an anthology, so that doesn't tell you much."

"So I could ask your favorite poet," Parker said. "Or whose poem you're reading right now."

"Exactly," Sophie said. "Either of those would be good questions to keep the conversation going. If you can't get enough clues from looking to know what to say next, ask questions until you get a better sense of the person. Most people love to talk about themselves."

"Okay, so...what poem are you reading?" Parker asked, slipping back into the training session.

"Wild Nights," Sophie said, "by Emily Dickinson."

Parker leaned in. "Tell me about Emily Dickinson."

 _Oh, very good, Parker._ "She was a passionate woman. You can tell that from her poetry. Listen. 'Wild Nights-Wild Nights!/Were I with thee/Wild Nights should be/Our luxury!'"

Parker's gaze held an extra layer of intensity. "I see."

Sophie smiled. "She wrote some of her poems for a woman called Susan." She lowered her voice. "Some think they were lovers."

Parker leaned closer. "What do you think?"

"I think it's entirely possible," Sophie said.

Parker made an aggrieved sound and sat back.

"What?" Sophie asked. "I thought things were going rather well." She'd been enjoying herself, at any rate, and thought Parker had been too.

"Yeah," Parker said, "but when you try to teach me how to flirt, you always end up flirting with me."

Sophie shrugged with one shoulder. "I find you very enjoyable to flirt with."

"I'll never learn how to do it myself if you always take over," Parker said.

She had a point. "Right." 

"Not that I don't like it when you..." Parker gestured back and forth between them. "...you know."

Sophie smiled, putting just a note of sultriness into the smile. "I do know."

"I know what to say about your eyes," Parker said.

Sophie nodded. "Go on."

"It's not about what they look like," Parker said. "It's about what they see. You don't see things like a thief. You see things like someone who reads poetry--people and the stories they tell themselves and what they want." She leaned in close again. "I'd love to know what you see when you look at me."

Sophie felt a bit dizzy. "What do you want me to see?"

"I asked you first," Parker said.

"Ah," Sophie said. She was fully aware that Parker was merely practicing her flirtation skills, but it still left her feeling a bit...warm. She could work with that. "I don't know if I could describe it properly here."

Parker's eyes seemed to light, and she eagerly followed Sophie's hint. "Is there somewhere else you'd rather go?"

"You know there is," Sophie said.

Then they looked at each other for one long, sultry moment, eye to eye, neither woman flinching, neither woman looking away. Sophie hadn't enjoyed herself this much in years.

Parker was the first to break, and she let out a sound of delight, falling back into her chair and hugging herself. "That was good, wasn't it?"

"Oh, yes," Sophie said. "I never doubted you could learn."

"Thank you, Sophie," Parker said, her voice and expression sincere. Then she beamed. "Wanna have sex?"

Sometimes Sophie enjoyed Parker's forthright nature more than she could possibly say. "Absolutely."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[PODFIC] Flirting Lessons, by tablelamp](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27999279) by [Thimblerig](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thimblerig/pseuds/Thimblerig)




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